Gangland [1x1 with Psychosis]

[Luxii]

"Yea, you definitely still need work on that anger management," she teased. She waited a few more minutes until Vincent was done, then she busied herself clearing off the table. She washed all of the dishes by hand in the sink, then wiped down the stove and table until everything looked how it did before the meal was prepared.


Now that Ari had a good meal in her belly, her spirits were much happier than usual. She forgot about all the terrible events of the passed few days, simply allowing herself to enjoy the situation at hand. Oddly enough, she was now feeling very flirtatous, a feeling that didn't come over her very often. Vincent had still been sitting at the table while she cleaned, watching her. "So what now, Chef Vincent?"
​

 

[Psychosis]

He couldn't take his eyes off her for nothing. Damn you, what magic is this, he questioned himself in his mind as he found himself all but watching her move around, mesmerized. Her flirtacious mood now disoriented him even more, and the first words he spoke were the first words that came to his mind.


"Well, if you don't really mind, this chef here doesn't work for free. Wanna discuss a proper reward?"


He winked and again teased to the best of his abilities as he didn't stand up, wanting to make her head towards him in a little game.

 

[Luxii]

The Hound wants to play... She smirked at him, looking as far off from a saint as she could get. She walked slowly back over to where Vincent was seated, exaggerating every step with a swing of her hips. "Are you going to make a habit of accepting payment in kisses?" She climbed into his lap, facing him, sitting on his thighs while her legs dangled in the air. His eyes were so blue, she realized. Earlier she had avoided his gaze but know she wouldn't look away. She would make him avert his gaze first.

​

 

[Psychosis]

"Maybe." He played a nonchalant shrug as he placed both hands on her waist, his big hands being able to cover her sides front to back, before gently moving them up. He finally ended by catching her with his arms, acting like a belt. He now had to look slightly up into her eyes and he could clearly see that playful glimmer which made him grin even bigger. Why was his heart throbbing like it was, he didn't know, or rather, tried to avoid thinking of it, but on the inside, he knew it was only one thing. He has fallen irreversibly in love with this girl.


"You know, for a Saint, you're a little lovely devil. And if being this close to you means betraying the Hellhounds, i regret nothing." He whispered the last words before faking a bite at her lips then gently approaching his own to hers, her scent alone driving him in a pure state of bliss and happiness.

 

[Luxii]

She laughed at his antics; well it was more of a giggle really. Ari knew she sounded like an idiot but she didn't care. She pressed the index finger of her right hand to Vincent's lips, pushing his head back and away from hers. "Ah, ah, aren't I the one supposed to be paying you?" she asked. "I know you're in the business of collecting payments without asking for it, but I'm the one in control here, not you." She feigned a glare at him. "Do we have an understanding?"

​

 

[Psychosis]

"You're such a tease. But i guess you're right, damn you." He laughed softly at her gesture, grumbling as he agreed to follow her movement, even though his lips already burned and he was sure that, if she was going to kiss him, he'd go all wild on her. However, he simply tried to make her as comfortable as possible on his thighs as he awaited her tormenting to end.

 

[Luxii]

This was strangely intoxicating. Vincent, kneecap breaker for the Hellhounds, was obeying little old her. The surge of power she felt made her feel giddy. She tilted up his chin with the same finger she had placed to his lips, then ran a trail of soft kisses from under his earlob to the junction where his neck met his collarbone. And then she bit him, not hard enough to break the skin, but hard enough to leave a small mark. She soothed that spot with a gentle kiss, then leapt off of Vincent's lap with a giggle. "I think that's payment enough for that meal, don't you think?"

​

 

[Psychosis]

The bite didn't hurt in the least, his skin was hard as stone in most places, but it turned on the deeper beasts inside him. As she rose from his lap, he sat up in a swift motion, catching her ever so gently yet rough and bringing her against him yet again while he did not take his gaze off hers for nothing. Grabbing at her jaw with the same gentle roughness he pulled closer and caught her lower lip between his, not satisfied enough with what he had gotten after so much teasing from her.

 

[Luxii]

She'd pushed him too far, it seemed. It was lucky he had yanked her back down onto his lap; her knees surely would have given out after he caught her bottom lip between his teeth. She mewled softly, and pressed the rest of herself against him. She felt drunk on him, surrounded by his bittersweet smell, the taste of his mouth was smoky like cigarettes. But she was still nervous. Vincent had no doubt been with several women before... and Ari was still.... a virgin. She could play their little flirtatous games but once there were consquences, she locked up. She could feel like they were rapidly approaching the point where she would want-- no need to stop.

​

 

[Psychosis]

Running his tongue along her lip, he teased her ever so gently, but feeling as she grew so weak, he pulled back with a soft kiss, looking her in the eyes. He knew that gaze of her all too well, she was afraid of what it might end up into. After all, she might've been right, even if his mind told him to go forth and push it until she breaks down to his will. No. She wasn't that type of girl and he didn't want to end by having her move away from him all scared. However, the scenario was broken and intrerupted by his phone ringing. Quick as always, he took it out of his pocket and looked carefully to see who it was. Sara.


"Yeah?" He answered, truly curious as to the reason she was calling him. He met a ragged, panting breath that came from the other end of the line, and Sara's voice all but whispered in the phone.


Vince? I... i... there's a strange man roaming about. I went out to look if anyone was coming and this hooded guy would not stop walking about the bar. I can't leave, and i can't ask him, i'm scared. What if he does something to me? Please, come here as quick as possible. Then the call intrerupted. What in the seven hells? It was barely 5 PM, were those demons so careless as to abduct someone in nearly the wake of the evening? However, there was no time to be thinking of such, so Vince quickly stood, carefully moving Ari off him as he explained.


"The girl at the bar is in danger, seems some of the demons have now targetted her. I don't have time to explain, just get ready and we'll meet up at Sinner's." He spoke as quickly as he rushed through the house, picking up his eequipment and equipping at the same time, dissapearing through the door as quickly. Seconds later, the engine of his bike roared to life and so he rode off on the street at high speed, hoping to reach the bar in effective time.

 

[Luxii]

He'd left so fast Ari did have a chance to say anything. She sat on the table, dazed and panting. Her mouth was red from Vincent's kisses. It took her a moment to snap out of it. The Sinner's Dream: that's where he said to go. It didn't take her long her pull on her boots and throw her leather jacket on. Once she'd also grabbed her keys and phone, she pulled her gun from her backpack and tucked it into the waist of her jeans. She was down the stairs quickly, taking two at a time. Only seconds after that her bike was roaring to life, but Vincent was already long gone. This part of town was still strange to her. Orienting herself was tricky. It took a few precious minutes to decide which way to go, but then she headed off, tires squealing on the pavement.

​

 

[Psychosis]

The traffic was light, thank the skies. His riding skills were good enough to get him past the few cars that ran around, rushed in different directions. He hoped he wouldn't get past a police car, else it was going to make for a nice pursuit that he'd otherwise enjoy, but not in this particular situation.He also hoped Ari wouldn't get lost, that would make for a second problem. A few minutes later, his bike was all but parked roughly in front of the bar. The door was wide open and he knew that he was probably too late, yet something made him want to check. Pulling his gun out, he silently snuck towards the door, and peeked inside. Holding his gun in a tight grip, he was ready to pop a cap if something happened. However, he saw nothing in the semi-darkness. Only a smell of sulphur was what struck him.


Sneaking inside the bar, he looked around. Nobody. No one to even see him or whom he could possibly see. Looking on the floor, he noticed a phone laying about, fallen probably from Sara's phone. There was an unfinished message that was to be sent by him.


Help me, they





It was all there was to be seen. Clearly, the demons have abducted her. He had to find her before they used her as a blood sacrifice and turned her into a vessel for one of their own. Rushing out, he mounted his bike yet again and rode off, thinking as to the place where they could've taken her. Which place? Right! The place where they took him. It had to be there. It was one of the points that formed the pentagram under the city. That was his next point. As he sped up on the street, he noticed it was slowly getting dark. He had to get there soon.


As he parked his bike silently near the spot, he saw the mini-van parked, with the back doors open. They have taken her inside already. The ritual was probably happening as he stood there. No. He had to at least try. Dismounting the bike, he rushed to the small entrance in the underground bunker. He could hear voices and muffled screams. Agh, where are you, Ari? He questioned in his mind as he approached, peeking inside, There they were, Liam was conjuring the pentagram while the others were holding Sara who was completely naked. Vincent watched and tried to think of a good way to distract them. If only they would die. Fucking bastards.

 

[Luxii]

It was already getting dark by the time Ari made it to the Sinner's Dream. Vincent's bike was nowhere to be seen? Had she beat him there? No, not likely. He'd had a good head start on her. Maybe they were already too late.


She left her bike idling in front of the bar but decided to take a look around inside. The place stank of sulphur. Strangely, the bar was deserted. No patrons, no bartenders, no Vincent, but thankfully no demons.


The adrenaline rush was making it hard for her to think. Where could everyone have gone... She felt helpless. Any decision she made was probably the wrong one.


But wait, maybe the bunker in Darktown? Ari had thwarted their attempts for a sacrifice there once. Maybe they would try again in the same spot?


She raced out of the bar, and headed off towards Darktown. She just hoped she'd made the right choice.
​

 

[Psychosis]

He watched as the ritual picked up, the dance of the blade was already being initiated and Sara was watching with wide eyes as her death was approaching. The smell in the bunker was already extremely hard to stand and it made Vincent feel absolutely nauseous, barely resisting the urge to throw up the food he'd eaten just half an hour ago. He had to do something about it quick, else Sara was going to get killed. Think, think... he murmured as he finally resorted to the last way he could. Taking his aim well, he exercised a lucky shot. If it was lucky enough, the blade would be swiped away or even broken in the process.


He didn't realise how tight he held himself together until he heard the shot and the sound of a ricochet, then witnessed the broken blade falling down in the bunker, on the cement floor. Great, you genius, now what? He asked himself as he saw all the red eyes now aiming their gazes towards him, making him feel a total discomfort. At least he saved Sara, for now, but if he couldn't hold them all off her until Ari arrived, it would be bad. He still felt exhausted by the blood rage he has gone through earlier, so the chance that he would pop another at the moment was minimal, if not inexistent.


However, his body reacted before his mind did, and he all but found himself fighting Liam and the two acolytes who seemed to be total strangers all by himself. A punch to the left, a kick to the right, he felt their bodies heavy and his hits barely did push them back as they advanced towards him. Sara's eyes were all but gazing up at him and gagged as she was, she could still mutter a "Help" between sobs of despair. In a lucky pull, he managed to grab the two acolytes and smack their heads together. The physics of these demons worked pretty plain. They might not get affected by such, but their corporeal shells would. The two skulls cracked and for some good seconds, the two hooded men all but stumbled around disoriented, all the while Liam was now controlling the fight, slamming Vincent to a wall ever so hard.


The huge man coughed up and stood, wobbly, rushing yet again against the maleficent force embodied in a now dead lawyer. With a malicious grin, Liam pushed him back yet again, with so much ease. Vince found himself lying on the cement, so near to the shards of the ritual blade. With a stealthy move, he snuck the bigger shard between his wrist and his jacket, while laying there, awaiting. Liam's hands grabbed him by the jacket and pulled him up, as the two red eyes burned through his gaze and a twisted voice spoke.


"Well, seems i was right. You would play the white knight here and come to save the lady in distress. So bad that now you and her will join me and the Lord in his crusade of..." His words however were intrerupted by the shard Vincent was wielding planted in his eye. A gut wrenching scream came out from the demon before he lost his grip on Vince and fell to the ground, a strange energy leaving the body and expiring into ether until there was nothing there left except for the lawyer's corpse. The two acolytes dissapeared in the well known cloud of sulhpuric smoke, leaving Vincent and Sara there, all alone. Vince was taken aback by her cries, quickly dismissing the blade shard before ungagging her and embracing her to calm her down.


"There, there. It's alright. You're safe now."

 

[Luxii]

She saw Vincent's bike parked on the street by the bunker and all the tension in her neck melted away. At least she had the sense to make the right choice on where to go.


Her bike she left parked behind the Hound's, and she made her way to the bunker's entrance. There was a van there, both back doors flung open. The whole place reeked of sulphur.


Ari placed her arm over her nose to block the smell and gingerly made her way into the bunkers depth.


The smell of gunpowder mixed with the stink of the sulphur the further down she got. She had obviously missed the fight, so she made no pause at rounding the corner to the big room at the center.


There was Vincent. The girl from the bar was fully nude, her arms wrapped around him and she was sobbing. He was comforting her, kneeling at her side. His hands were in her hair.


Ari's stomach clenched painfully. She blinked hard and took a deep breath. Obviously this girl had just been through a trauma and was seeking comfort. But it still didn't stop Ari from wanting to smack her.
​

 

[Psychosis]

Vincent took off his jacket and placed it quickly around Sara's shoulders, wrapping her up as she continued sobbing. The sight of Liam's corpse didn't do any better to her cause, causing her sobs to reach even higher notes and her to hide her face even deeper in Vincent's chest. Vincent's eyes quickly switched from the situation at hand to Ari, who stood there with a not so pleased attitude. He knew exactly why, but he simply signaled her that it was alright for the moment.


"Liam's dead for good, now" He spoke to her as he slowly stood up, pulling Sara with him in the motion. He then started walking her towards Ari, the girl's knees all shaky and her body vibrating still with the sobs. Vincent did everything in his powers to cover her body. But why did he feel so fucked up? It was as if something was making home inside him, his stomach twisting and turning and the bile rising into his throat as he walked the girl out. He hoped he'd find her clothes in the van. Sara, having passed through the sobbing phase was now silent, shocked, and she sat exactly where Vince put her when he entered the van to look for her clothes. There they were.


Minutes later, Sara was clothed, what's true, carelessly, but she wasn't naked anymore. Her silent voice rose through the night air.


"Please... come with me... i'm scared." She called to Vincent, who stopped in his way to look at her. Would he be free, he'd probably not even blink before accepting, but like this... What would Ari say about it?

 

[Luxii]

Ari followed the pair out of the bunker and into the fresh air. Her attention was focused anywhere but Vincent, the horizon, the ground, the street.


When the girl pleaded for Vincent's company, Ari bit the inside of her cheek hard enough that it bled. Her lips twisted together unpleasantly.


It wasn't fair for her to feel this way. Her and Vincent weren't even anything. They'd only known each other for a week really. He and this girl obviously had a history together, so why did she feel sick about it?


She kicked the gravel underneath her feet. It was probably best if she left. That way Vincent wouldn't feel bad about whatever choice he was about to make.


"I'll see you later," she mumbled with a wave of her hand. Not like you needed me anyway. Each step she took away made her feel worse and worse until she slung her leg over her bike and made it roar to life under her.
​

 

[Psychosis]

Before he could actually say something, she left. Sheesh, these women... Vincent thought as he watched her dissapear, remaining alone with only Sara. "Here, you dropped it" He mumbled as he handed her her phone, and watched as a shaky hand took it. And now what was he going to do? He was going to take her home, most likely. But Ari... he couldn't leave her alone, what if those maniacs returned? He sighed in frustration as he tried to think about something. However, not finding anything, he simply signaled for Sara to follow as he mounted his bike. He knew where she lived, one of the most ill famed neighbourhoods in the town. The road there wasn't long, ten minutes of normal speed.


As he finally reached the poor block in which she had her small studio apartment. Holding her by the arm, he led her inside and into the small apartment that could barely do the basic housing for one person. Sara wasn't speaking, she just let herself led by him, but, as soon as she read his intention of leaving, she pleaded with teary eyes.


"Please... don't leave me alone...".


Goddammit, now what do i do? Vincent asked himself as he shuffled nervously, thinking between leaving and staying. However, he found that Ari had more priority, therefore, ten minutes later, he was on the road back home. Hopefully, she was there, waiting for him.

 

[Luxii]

It didn't take her long to get back to Vincent's apartment. She was just going to grab a few things, then she would go stay at the hospital with her mother. It wasn't right to be alone in the Hound's apartment.


She parked where she had before, then made her way up the stairs to the entrance. Once inside, she grabbed her backpack and went to the bedroom to grab some of her clothes from the closet and dresser.
​

 

[Psychosis]

The way home hasn't been hard either, but Vincent was torn. He thought about both, Sara and Ari. Ari was probably pissed off at him already, she seemed really hasty, and extremely corroded by jealousy. She was probably waiting to throw something at him. Most likely, knives. As he reached the apartment, he wasted a second thinking before opening the door and entering, ready to parry any incoming attack. However, there was none, not a warm nor cold welcome, just shuffling sounds coming from the room. As he approached, he watched Ari as she was searching and packing her stuff. Standing in the doorway, he spoke with a torn tone.


"Hey, what are you doing? Listen, what you've seen back there... It's not what it seems like."

 

[Luxii]

"Oh."

It was all she could manage to say as she stood there with her back pack in one hand. Vincent was leaning up against the doorway, blocking the only exit.


"It seemed pretty clear to me."


She was being a brat and she knew it. Jealousy was an ugly, ugly thing it seemed. He knew that she was upset, the tone in his voice showed that clearly. And really, why was she upset?


That look in the other girl's eyes when she had looked at Vincent. That's what made Ari mad. There was a familiarity, a closeness there that had Ari's stomach in knots. She wanted Vincent to look at her like that, not some crack-head bartender.


"And I didn't want you to feel bad about... Whatever, it doesn't matter."


It didn't appear that Vincent was moving anytime soon, so Ari decided she would as least be comfortable while he stared at her. She took a seat at the edge of the bed and set her backpack between her feet.


"I didn't think you were coming back," she half-mumbled. She almost felt guilty that he had caught her trying to leave.
​

 

[Psychosis]

"I know what it looked like, but it's not what you believe. She's just one of my clients, i deliver her the stuff weekly and get money for it."


He knew he was telling only partly the truth, but he would risk angering her by telling her about snorting together and having steamy fun while at it. Moving closer, he placed his hand on the backpack and removed it from her, putting it away before stopping in front of her, and catching her face in his big hands. He stared her down in the eyes with the littlest hint of affection, heartfelt, and smiled slightly as he spoke in a low tone.


"Listen...I..." You what? You love her? Don't be pathetic, you barely know her. The voice inside him stopped him from speaking further on, his gaze falling to the ground as he remained there, undecisive, not knowing whether to continue, or not. Moreover, the feeling of torment deep inside him would not give him peace. And suddenly, out of all, he felt the most burning of feelings, an anger so hard to control he actually feared he will fold his hands and crush her head. Taking his hands off her as quickly as possible, he stepped away, trying to control this sensation and contain it. But why? Why did he feel that?


Little did he know that once with that, his eyes glimmered red for a moment there.

 

[Luxii]

Ari knew Vincent was only telling half of the truth. Clients don't look at you like that. But she decided she was going to let it slide for now. And then he was before her, cradling her face in his hands. The look on his face made her knees weak - he was getting good at that - but luckily she was already seated on the edge of the bed.

Then the moment was lost. He jumped away from her like she was on fire. There was a trembling in his hands.

"Vince....?"

She wanted to reach out for him, but didn't.

"Are you okay?"​

 

[Psychosis]

Was he? No, of course he was not, the sudden burning anger was rising and putting pressure onto him. He wondered how much would pass until he eventually snapped and something bad happened. He had to avoid that at all costs. With his eyes slowly returning to their normal glint of color, Vincent tried turning around and acting ever so normal.


"Yeah... it's just a headache, nothing to worry about... I'm tired."

 

[Luxii]

"You should get some sleep then."


She stood up, the bed creaked softly under her. Retreiving her backpack, she set it back in the closet ontop of her duffle bag.


Something was definitely wrong with the Hound, he was trying to cover it up and doing a poor job of it. But Ari would let him have his space. After all, he didn't owe her any sort of explanation for any of his actions today.


Just minutes ago she was so intent on leaving, but now she felt like she had to stay. He had come back after all. It would be a dick move to leave now.


"I'll be out in the living room... If you need me," she offered.